Jungle Book

By Stephen Hunter and Stephen Hunter,Sun Film Critic | December 24, 1994

What's the coolest death in "Rudyard Kipling's 'Jungle Book' "? Hmm, this is a hard choice.Is it . . . the coward who gets chewed to death by the tiger?Or is it . . . the guy who gets sucked down slowly, every so slowly, into quicksand?Or maybe . . . the native traitor trapped in a tomb that compresses darkly over him, promising slow extinction by suffocation?Or, no, no, it's the British officer laden with loot who sinks to the bottom of a pool and looks around in oxygen-starved despair at the skulls of other unfortunate souls, until a giant serpent bites him in the face!

FUNNY FACE 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION Paramount / $14.99 Funny Face offers an object lesson in beauty, class and charisma, courtesy of an actress who had all three in abundance. Already in 1957, at age 24 and with just three major films behind her, Audrey Hepburn was a Hollywood original, a glamorous pixie who somehow retained a regal bearing that engendered respect and a gaminelike quality that made men and women alike adore her. Paired here with Fred Astaire, she plays a beatnik-ish bookstore clerk who, reluctantly, becomes the new face of a fashion line.

The Jungle Book 2 covers the bare necessities. Several times. "Bare Necessities," you might recall, was the centerpiece song of the original Jungle Book, the 1967 animated feature that was the last film overseen by Walt Disney himself (he died the same year). Thoroughly enjoyable - though the animation wasn't up to Disney standards - the movie succeeded largely on the vocal talents of Louis Prima (King Louie of the apes), Sebastian Cabot (Bagheera the panther), George Sanders (Shere Khan the tiger)

Theatre on the Hill, Westminster's professional theater company, returns to McDaniel College for its 23rd anniversary with three musicals and two musical revues. This summer's lineup is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Oliver!, The Jungle Book, Heard Any Good Books Lately? and Singing the Bard. Joseph is the biblical tale of Joseph and his vibrant-colored coat in ancient Egypt, with inspirational music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the humorous lyrics of Tim Rice. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. June 15, 22 and 29; at 1:30 p.m. June 17; and 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. June 16, 23 and 30. Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for students and seniors 65 and older for evenings, and $17 and $14, respectively, for matinees.

FUNNY FACE 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION Paramount / $14.99 Funny Face offers an object lesson in beauty, class and charisma, courtesy of an actress who had all three in abundance. Already in 1957, at age 24 and with just three major films behind her, Audrey Hepburn was a Hollywood original, a glamorous pixie who somehow retained a regal bearing that engendered respect and a gaminelike quality that made men and women alike adore her. Paired here with Fred Astaire, she plays a beatnik-ish bookstore clerk who, reluctantly, becomes the new face of a fashion line.

By David Bianculli and David Bianculli,Special to The Sun | December 27, 1994

Repeat after me. Repeat after me. Repeat after me. Whatever TV show is talking tonight, that's how it's warning you about what's coming next.* "Full House." (8-8:30 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Whenever I say that "Full House" is this generation's "The Brady Bunch," I don't mean it as a compliment. I also don't mean for it to be taken quite this literally: On tonight's show, Barry Williams of "The Brady Bunch" is a guest star. ABC repeat.* "Quick Change." (8-10 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Randy Quaid very broad and funny in this 1990 comedy, which stars Bill Murray, Geena Davis and Quaid as bumbling bank robbers.

Theatre on the Hill, Westminster's professional theater company, returns to McDaniel College for its 23rd anniversary with three musicals and two musical revues. This summer's lineup is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Oliver!, The Jungle Book, Heard Any Good Books Lately? and Singing the Bard. Joseph is the biblical tale of Joseph and his vibrant-colored coat in ancient Egypt, with inspirational music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the humorous lyrics of Tim Rice. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. June 15, 22 and 29; at 1:30 p.m. June 17; and 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. June 16, 23 and 30. Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for students and seniors 65 and older for evenings, and $17 and $14, respectively, for matinees.

The air may be cool, the ground slick with ice, but from the moment you enter, there's no mistaking where you are: You're in the jungle. Bird calls slice through the rising mist. Vines tumble from overhead, falling from the thick foliage that obscures the view. But nothing blocks the scene's centerpiece: the "Tree of Life," a 7 1/2 -ton, 38-foot-tall, three-tiered mammoth planted firmly in the middle of the big room. And surrounding it all? Seats. Rows and rows of seats, because you're in the Baltimore Arena, and the show is about to begin.

By Nancy Knisley and Nancy Knisley,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | October 3, 1999

When Roger Birkel was young, he imagined himself talking with animals as does the boy Mowgli in "The Jungle Book.""I was fascinated because Mowgli was part of the animals, not a human apart from animals, but one of them," Birkel says, remembering that he also found Rudyard Kipling's animal characters compelling."

Pamela Jekel is how she's known in the the publishing world, but she's is our neighbor, Pam Koons, mother of Leah and wife of Bill. She has authored six books of historical fiction, three of which have reached national best-seller lists. Her latest work, "The Third Jungle Book," is for children and was released recently by Roberts Rinehart Press.It's on the shelves in major bookstores. This book is a sequel to Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Books," and it continues Mowgli's story. The volume, which is illustrated by Nancy Malick, is praised for its authenticity.

The Jungle Book 2 covers the bare necessities. Several times. "Bare Necessities," you might recall, was the centerpiece song of the original Jungle Book, the 1967 animated feature that was the last film overseen by Walt Disney himself (he died the same year). Thoroughly enjoyable - though the animation wasn't up to Disney standards - the movie succeeded largely on the vocal talents of Louis Prima (King Louie of the apes), Sebastian Cabot (Bagheera the panther), George Sanders (Shere Khan the tiger)

The air may be cool, the ground slick with ice, but from the moment you enter, there's no mistaking where you are: You're in the jungle. Bird calls slice through the rising mist. Vines tumble from overhead, falling from the thick foliage that obscures the view. But nothing blocks the scene's centerpiece: the "Tree of Life," a 7 1/2 -ton, 38-foot-tall, three-tiered mammoth planted firmly in the middle of the big room. And surrounding it all? Seats. Rows and rows of seats, because you're in the Baltimore Arena, and the show is about to begin.

By Nancy Knisley and Nancy Knisley,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | October 3, 1999

When Roger Birkel was young, he imagined himself talking with animals as does the boy Mowgli in "The Jungle Book.""I was fascinated because Mowgli was part of the animals, not a human apart from animals, but one of them," Birkel says, remembering that he also found Rudyard Kipling's animal characters compelling."

By David Bianculli and David Bianculli,Special to The Sun | December 27, 1994

Repeat after me. Repeat after me. Repeat after me. Whatever TV show is talking tonight, that's how it's warning you about what's coming next.* "Full House." (8-8:30 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Whenever I say that "Full House" is this generation's "The Brady Bunch," I don't mean it as a compliment. I also don't mean for it to be taken quite this literally: On tonight's show, Barry Williams of "The Brady Bunch" is a guest star. ABC repeat.* "Quick Change." (8-10 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Randy Quaid very broad and funny in this 1990 comedy, which stars Bill Murray, Geena Davis and Quaid as bumbling bank robbers.

By Stephen Hunter and Stephen Hunter,Sun Film Critic | December 24, 1994

What's the coolest death in "Rudyard Kipling's 'Jungle Book' "? Hmm, this is a hard choice.Is it . . . the coward who gets chewed to death by the tiger?Or is it . . . the guy who gets sucked down slowly, every so slowly, into quicksand?Or maybe . . . the native traitor trapped in a tomb that compresses darkly over him, promising slow extinction by suffocation?Or, no, no, it's the British officer laden with loot who sinks to the bottom of a pool and looks around in oxygen-starved despair at the skulls of other unfortunate souls, until a giant serpent bites him in the face!

Pamela Jekel is how she's known in the the publishing world, but she's is our neighbor, Pam Koons, mother of Leah and wife of Bill. She has authored six books of historical fiction, three of which have reached national best-seller lists. Her latest work, "The Third Jungle Book," is for children and was released recently by Roberts Rinehart Press.It's on the shelves in major bookstores. This book is a sequel to Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Books," and it continues Mowgli's story. The volume, which is illustrated by Nancy Malick, is praised for its authenticity.

* Sir John Summerson, 87, Britain's pre-eminent architectural historian, died Nov. 10 in London of pneumonia, complicated by Parkinson's disease and emphysema. He was a trained architect, a journalist and for nearly 40 years the curator of Sir John Soane's Museum in London. Many of his books, including "Georgian London" (1946) and "Heavenly Mansions" (1948), have become popular classics.* Sterling Holloway, 87, whose acting career began in the silent era with a series of short comedies, died Sunday in Los Angeles.

If the kids are running out of reading material and you're hesitant to travel in the wintry weather, you might want to turn to the Alphabet Superhighway's Reading Center at www.ash.udel.edu/ash/tutor/reading.html. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the site has links to full-text copies of some great tales, categorized by your child's grade level and free for the reading. Titles include: Kindergarten through fourth grade: "Round Bird Can't Fly" by Lea McAndrews "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Beatrix Potter "The Little Igloo at the North Pole" by Elie Venezky "Alphabet" by Roland Merino Fifth through eighth grade: "The Littlest Knight" by Carol Moore "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams Bianco "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Anderson